Russia to seek return of child adopted by U.S. family: official

MOSCOW, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Moscow will try to bring back a two- year-old Russian boy adopted by a U.S. couple along with his elder brother, who died in January, said a high-ranking Russian official on Saturday.

Admitting that the return of Kirill Kuzmin would probably be " extremely hard," the Russian Foreign Ministry's human rights envoy, Konstantin Dolgov, revealed that Moscow would raise the issue during bilateral adoption talks to be held in mid-April in Washington.

"A U.S.-Russian adoption agreement allows Russia to at least request the return of an adoptee if that is believed to be in their best interests," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Dolgov as saying.

Kirill Kuzmin and his three-year-old brother Maxim were adopted last year by U.S. Texan couple Alan and Laura Shatto. Maxim was found dead with injuries outside the Shattos' house three months after the adoption.

Some Russian officials claimed that Maxim had been abused by his foster parents, but U.S. authorities ruled that his injuries were self-inflicted.

Kirill currently remains with the Shattos, who denied abusing the children and faced no charges over the case.

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